Road surfaces such as concrete, asphalt, macadam surfaces and the like utilized for interstate, major and even rural roadways are customarily provided with painted stripes and other patterns and indicia which serve as lane indicators, roadway edges, pedestrian crosswalk indicators and the like.
These patterns, stripes and the like, in addition to being initially provided on road surfaces, must also be replaced from time to time due to their constant wearing by both vehicular and pedestrian traffic as well as erosion caused by natural elements (i.e. wind, rain, snow, constant temperature changes, etc.).
The conventional method for providing such road surface markings includes setting down temporary, typically portable traffic detouring devices arranged at spaced distances along a road surface and in such a manner as to indicate to vehicular traffic that a road surface or portions thereof are temporarily closed and that traffic is being detoured therearound to permit the painting operation to be performed safely and without interference with vehicular traffic. Although painting operations may be scheduled during periods of low traffic volume, traffic congestion can hardly be avoided.
Once the highway detour markers (i.e. cones) are in place, markings are provided to identify the stripe or other pattern to be painted onto the road surface. This operation is typically performed by a vehicle having apparatus thereon for placing the markings on the road surface, which markings act as guides for the painting operation which follows the laying down of the guide markings. The vehicles employed for the laying down of the guide markings and the paint operation are typically separate vehicles.
The painting operation is preferably performed utilizing mechanized apparatus arranged upon a vehicle, which is fitted with equipment capable of detecting the guide markers and positioning the spray equipment to follow the guide markers and thereby accurately place the spray pattern at the desired location upon the road surface.
The paint is typically allowed to dry for before the roadway is reopened to vehicular traffic in order to prevent the painted markings from being lifted onto the tires of vehicles and thereby be "reprinted" upon the road surface thus deteriorating and significantly reducing the effectiveness and the useful life of the painted markings. The paints presently developed for use in painting road surfaces and having superior wear properties require longer drying times, typically 25 to 30 minutes and are thus more expensive to use and apply.
The conventional techniques utilized for reducing drying time include limiting performance of the painting operation to the summer months or at the minimum, and typically to clear, dry days at those times of the year during which warmer temperatures are encountered. In addition, the paint ingredients may be heated as they are mixed preparatory to being sprayed, which technique somewhat promotes cross-linkage and drying of the paint ingredients.
Nevertheless, even when the above techniques are employed the paint requires at least 20-30 minutes to dry.
The cones placed on the road surface are removed from the road surface after the paint has dried, enabling the roadway to be returned to normal usage.
The conventional methods described above are very highly labor intensive adding significantly to the cost of the operation. The time required to perform all of the steps involved in the painting operation results in a significant contribution to the amount of inconvenience and congestion experienced by vehicular and/or pedestrian traffic over the period of time during which the roadway or portions thereof are closed to such traffic which further contributes to the need for improved and effective painting techniques in order to reduce traffic congestion as well as costs.